00:00Decisions by public authorities regarding Islamic matters are subject to judicial review
00:06by civil courts, as established by the federal court in cases like M Indira Gandhi, lawyer
00:11Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, who appeared for rights group Sisters in Islam, told the court today.
00:16Indira's case, which addressed unilateral conversion of minors to Islam, set a precedent
00:22ignored by the Court of Appeal in SIS for Malaysia Burhat's case.
00:27SIS is appealing a 2023 Court of Appeal ruling upholding a fatwa issued by the Salamor Islamic
00:32Religious Council in 2014, which labelled SIS as deviant for promoting liberalism and
00:38religious pluralism.
00:40Malik said the fatwa, once gazetted, carries the force of law and should be subject to
00:45judicial review to uphold the rule of law.
00:48He said natural justice was breached since SIS was not heard before the fatwa was issued
00:53and emphasised SIS forum's position as beyond the reach of the state fatwa committee.
00:59Lawyer Hanif Khatri Abdullah, appearing for Ma'is, countered that the fatwa followed legal
01:03procedures, was not equivalent to delegated legislation, and was therefore not amenable
01:08to judicial review.
01:11Danish Fakir Reza, FNT News.
Comments